Two Australian navy patrol boats rescued 162 people from an asylum seeker boat in trouble in Indonesian waters and were taking them today to an immigration detention centre on a remote Australian island territory.

Three people required medical attention, including a man who suffered a heart attack and was resuscitated by military personnel.

There were no fatalities, unlike recent incidents in which would-be migrants have capsized on their way to Australia.

Australia is a common destination for boats carrying asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka and other war-ravaged countries.